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Birches residents enjoy new outdoor kitchen in Clarendon Hills
Ethelda Loose( left) and Ednamae Campbell eat outdoors after a cooking demonstration at The Birches. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: September 17, 2012 6:08AM
CLARENDON HILLS — Birches Chef Diana Siabute treated residents to a Taste of Summer on Aug. 9, taking advantage of the new deluxe outdoor kitchen at the Clarendon Hills facility.
This fresh air kitchen features two grills — one charcoal which is used for smoking and one gas. There’s also a hand sink, refrigerator and plenty of granite counter space.
Siabute and her cooks used the grill to prepare BBQ ribs, fried green tomatoes, vegetable kebabs and teriyaki shrimp kebabs. Other menu items were vegetable sausage pizza, fruit salad, chocolate dipped strawberries and berry peach cobbler.
“We are so proud of our new outdoor kitchen,” Siabute said. “I don’t know of any other retirement facility with an amenity like this. This is very rare. I feel very lucky indeed.”
The Birches also boasts a large outdoor herb garden, and Siabute takes full advantage of it. Fresh herbs are used to flavor many recipes.
The outdoor kitchen has been the site of cooking classes and food demonstrations. The residents like to sit outdoors and watch the cooks using the grills.
